Cinemagraphs constitute a mixture between a photograph and a video. They provide the illusion that a viewer is watching a still image that contains some movement or alternatively a video that contains many static elements. The selection of the moving and static elements is typically made such that the cinemagraph provides a surprise for the viewer or that it enhances the mood of the images. Cinemagraphs are well suited for creating short motion sequences to make the still images more life-like and interesting or to draw the attention of the viewer to a particular aspect of the image.
Cinemagraphs can be created manually based on a sequence of captured pictures using a dedicated application. The sequence of pictures can be either a sequence of photographs or a sequence of images represented by video frames. Cinemagraphs can also be created automatically.
For creating a cinemagraph, desired moving elements may be selected from the sequence of pictures. One of the pictures may be selected for the still parts of the cinemagraph, and the moving elements may be filtered out from this picture. The animation for these elements may be created based on a plurality of the pictures. The animation can be provided as a sequence of frames that is repeated in a loop. The plurality of the pictures that form the basis for the animation may be selected for example such that the result appears as a seamless loop of a movement.